Saturday, July 24, 2010

Again, fail. Blog not updated since Wednesday. It's Saturday and I have lots of crazy exercise to review! So let's just pretend it's Friday and I'll write two separate blog posts.

Tempo Run Thursday!I often think tempo run is my favorite part of the training plan. I like the challenge of trying to maintain a certain pace and sometimes I feel like I have to hold back on Monday's easy run so I like really feeling like I'm racing (almost). This Thursday was a little rough however. The temperature was already in the 80s when I left for my run at 6am. The tempo run increased this week from 4 miles to 5 miles at tempo (with a half mile warm up and cooldown). I felt like it was a serious struggle to get up and down the hills. However, I was excited when I got home because I assumed I had gone slower than I wanted to, but that was not the case!

According to McMillan and my two mile timed trial at the beginning of marathon training, my tempo speed should be 8:28 to 8:50 (but in my mind I consider anything under 9 tempo pace). My splits were:8:508:488:479:408:38All in all, a good run!

Thursday night - HOT YOGAI tried Bikram yoga for the first time Thursday. I was a bit nervous about staying in room for the full 90 minutes, and I have never done yoga (well, a few one demand videos and a class at my old gym don't really count) before. The website said the room was heated to 105 degrees. When we got there, it was actually 114! It was seriously intense and I had to sit/lie down many times because I felt lightheaded, dizzy, nauseous, or some combination. I could only do the extreme beginner version of most poses and I thought it was really odd how you were supposed to keep your knees locked, unlike aerobics classes, where they are always on you NOT to lock them. But I stayed in the room, which is apparently the goal for beginners! The amount you sweat is unreal. I had brought 4 water bottles from my freezer and pretty much killed three of them by the end. Although it's tough you do feel AMAZING afterwards. However, since it took place during dinner time, I was the hungriest girl ever when I finally sat down to dinner after returning home and showering - not until 10:15! An hour past my normal bedtime.

Somehow I convinced myself to go again Friday so Darcy and I headed to a 4pm class. I was a little nervous since we were supposed to meet friends for dinner afterwards and after the previous class I could barely function to make it off the couch and into bed. Plus Thursdays class was so rough that I was getting really anxious about doing it again. The second time seemed to fly by though, unlike Thursday where the class felt like it took a year. I took a lot less breaks and those I did were not because I thought I was going to die or pass out. And we felt energized for dinner after instead of exhausted. I think the late time for Thursday's class contributed to my struggle. We may go again Sunday morning - but that depends how much fun we have tonight!

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

I don't follow celebrity gossip that much but for some reason I am super excited about the fact that Lindsey finally had to go to jail. Maybe because she's a redhead and we share a name I like to stalk her a bit?

Last night was partner 800s at the track. Luckily my partner, who had been on vacation, was finally back! Basically what we did was, I ran 400 on my own, I ran 400 with Katharine (my partner), then she ran 400 alone while I rested. Repeat 7 times. It ended up being about 4.5 - 5 miles total, plus they were speed intervals so it was a tough workout. I really like doing speedwork on the track though. Since I had never done it, I thought it might be boring, but I love how all the different intervals breaks things up, so it flies by. Plus having a coach and teammates pushing you and giving you goals results in me working much harder then when it's just me and the road at 6am and nobody really knows what I'm doing. These speed runs in 90 degree heat are crazy though! I brought two water bottles and killed them both before I made it home.

I thought my legs might be sore this morning. They actually have been sore after the other two track workouts I've done - which means they must be making a difference, I don't remember the last time I was sore after a 4 mile run! Today they felt fine though, although I am feeling Monday's SELF tear out card workout in my shoulders a bit. Staying out late at trivia last night = sleeping in (until the late hour of 6:45) and hitting the gym in the afternoon. I was thinking of a swim + strength training (I usually try to get this in on Wednesdays) but when my new issue of SELF came in the mail swimming was all over. I enjoyed it for 30 minutes on the elliptical. I normally do an interval workout by increasing either the tension or the incline every few minutes but today I made the amazing discovery that the machine has an option called "hill incline" where it does all that for you so I can just ignore my watch and zone out with my magazine! Ingenious. Only took me 11 years of consistent gym attendance to figure that out. After my hill incline workout I did a random hodgepodge of strength training that I have put together from physical therapy, JM DVDs, and magazine ideas. My heart rate stays pretty high if I move through it quickly and I am shaky afterward so I consider it a good workout. Still, I hate strength training. I just try to tell myself it's helping me become a better runner in the long run.

Last night a bunch of friends from school showed up at trivia unexpectedly. We ended up skipping trivia and just getting a table to catch up on gossip. So much fun! I love my coworkers....we just need to eliminate the whole "work" part of our relationship. And tonight I wasted 40 minutes driving to tutoring because I never check my messages and apparently I had got one saying it was canceled. I guess I learned my lesson.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Not sure how this is going to work since the point of this blog was to blog my exercise during marathon training so I can look back when I am 80 and remember how it felt to run 12 miles in July when it was 90 degrees and 98% humidity (for example). Although maybe when I'm 80 I'll still be running? Anyway, I am really trying to post every day but I won't have any time after my run today so I guess I'll have to review that tomorrow. I am meeting my marathon group at the track for some partner 800s (in 90 degree heat), then heading straight to trivia! (Well, straight from the shower that is). However, yesterday I did do a circuit of random exercises ripped out of an old SELF magazine last night and it was tough! The bright side was the Office came on and I totally forgot about the one where Jim and Roy almost get in a fight. And I could do the whole circuit twice in less time than it took to watch the episode. That was a pretty lame review since I didn't really give any clue as to what the exercises were. Basically using a weight and matwork/abwork/upper body work with those fun moves that hit a bunch of muscles at once. I also vacuumed...which counts for exercise, right? I moved the dining room chairs and everything!

Random thoughts:

Heat makes me tired - like I can barely get off the couch when I get home from my half day of workMarathon training makes me super hungry...and the mileage is still relatively low... I might be in troubleOn the radio this morning the DJ said women only eat lollipops to look sexy...but I find them delicious...and do not look sexy eating themSome chocolate cake is still in my fridge...success...although the extra filling is gone...oops....

Tomorrow I will reveal my opinion of the partner 800s and if we are the trivia winners for the third week in a row! Off to do some cleaning - I offered to let everyone sleep over after trivia since we live across the street!

Monday, July 19, 2010

Ok so I did not blog about my exercise every day. In my defense, though, this was my anniversary weekend so I was celebrating two happy years of marriage with my wonderful husband!

Friday - planned to do a bike/swim before work. Too tired. Slept instead after getting up to check if there was open swim in the afternoon....the extra sleep was much needed and felt like heaven! It was the only day last week that I didn't feel like I had to drag myself through. I planned to do my workout at 3, when open lane swim began, but my husband begged me to relax with him. Who was I to say no on our anniversary weekend? I did get a slight workout cleaning? So Friday turned into my rest day for the week.

Saturday - 9.61 mile HILLY, HOT, HUMID run with the marathon group. We ran up over 2200 feet of elevation. This run was rough but I met some new friends and got through it.

We celebrated our anniversary in Richmond, VA. I tried Ethiopian food for the first time (we both LOVED it) and probably walked at least a few more miles up more hills!

Sunday - attempted to go to the YMCA next to the hotel (hotel guests could go for free) but it was closed until noon, so we ran outside instead. I didn't have my running shoes but did a slow run for about 35 minutes and got to check out the city on foot. Later on at home I did No More Trouble Zones for some strength training.

Monday - Somehow managed to get up and do a 5K before work after staying up WAAAY too late and not sleeping well. I had the worst food hangover from eating my weight in chocolate anniversary cake yesterday, but it was worth it. I am actually a little bit sore from NMTZ and the hills. Might do some ab/core work later on today, or some yoga to loosen up. My real challenge for today is not to go eat all that's left of the cake. Fingers crossed!

According to my two mile timed trial and McMillan, my tempo run is supposed to be 8:20-8:50. FAIL. BUT it was hot and hilly and I went to bed too late due to my husband walking in the door as I was about to turn off the light and my crazy plan of chatting about our days.

Really excited to go to the farmer's market with my sister and use my new basket when she gets home! Then - it's not raining ... soo...pool?